Gotthelf, the famous Bernese writer, did not shy away from his pleasure: he liked them golden, crisp and steaming. He describes in his books what he means by good rösti. He didn’t like "rösti that let dust clouds escape when you open or close the door" at all, because those rösti were way too dry! The cooks who skimped on the lard were, according to him, saving the ends of candles.
Originally, rösti consisted of leftover boiled potatoes eaten as a soup the day before, cooked in a pan for breakfast in the shape of a pancake. Currently the basic recipe consists only of potatoes pre-cooked in water the day before, then grated and cooked in butter ... or lard! There is indeed a great debate in Switzerland between the two cooking methods. You can add bacon or onions, an egg or Swiss Gruyère AOP. They are often eaten with sliced veal Zurich style or simply with a green salad.